Schumer Signals That Democrats Are “Ready to Expeditiously Fill” Supreme Court Vacancies

Writing successful a “Dear Colleague” letter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made wide that Democrats are “ready to expeditiously fill” Supreme Court vacancies arsenic Democrats besides measurement a bipartisan infrastructure measure and a fund resolution.

“Alongside these important legislative priorities, the Senate volition proceed to corroborate much of President Biden’s highly qualified judicial nominees. … We volition proceed this captious enactment successful the months to come. As always, Senate Democrats basal acceptable to expeditiously capable immoderate imaginable vacancies connected the Supreme Court should they arise,” Schumer wrote successful the letter.

Schumer made wide that colleagues should be prepared to enactment agelong nights, implicit the weekends and into the scheduled August recess to decorativeness their work.

“Please beryllium advised that clip is of the essence and we person a batch of enactment to do. Senators should beryllium prepared for the anticipation of moving agelong nights, weekends, and remaining successful Washington into the previously-scheduled August authorities enactment period,” helium wrote.

There is not presently a vacancy connected the Supreme Court but progressives person been pressuring Associate Justice Stephen Breyer to discontinue to guarantee that the vacancy occurs portion the Democrats are successful power of the Senate. Breyer has not indicated that helium volition retire. However, if helium did, the vacancy would let President Biden to nominate idiosyncratic younger and possibly bring much diverseness to the tribunal adjacent if a Democratic assignment does not impact the existent 6-3 blimpish majority.